Welcome to the Facilities Planning website!
- The revised manual provides additional guidance and explanation of the requirements for reporting and explains the process of obtaining temporary Occupancy Certificates. Until the next version of the Building Code is adopted, the code being enforced is the 2020 New York State Building Code based on the 2018 International Building Code.
- This reflects NYSED's clarifying conversation with the NYS Department of State, which promulgates the Fire Code. As a result of this conversation, monthly fire drills are no longer required.
- The voluntary Third Party Review (TPR) Program run through CiTi BOCES has been outsourcing the technical reviews for eligible capital project submissions since 2018.
- The receipt of projects submitted to the TPR Program will be suspended as of March 31, 2023.
- The full submission for any projects requesting a TPR must be received by the Office of Facilities Planning prior to March 31, 2023, and a corresponding request placed to thirdpartyreview@nysed.gov.
- Review queues have remained stable for the last several years and thus the program suspension will be effective thereafter until further notice.
- Any questions should be addressed to thirdpartyreview@nysed.gov.
Due to some valuable comments from the field, select sections of the 2022 Manual of Planning Standards have been revised. Please see the link below for the revised document. Paragraphs containing changes are highlighted in grey, and mostly occur in Part VI: Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Requirements and in Part VIII: Electrical Work (note some sections and tables have been removed). To accommodate these last minute changes, we will be postponing the implementation of the 2022 MPS.
The current 1998 version will be superseded by the revised 2022 MPS with a grace period to allow facilities currently being designed to be submitted complying with the 1998 version. All projects received by our office after April 1, 2023 must be in compliance with the revised 2022 MPS. If you have questions about the new MPS, please email EMSCFP@nysed.gov. Thank you for your patience.
The Fiscal Associate List has been updated and can be found here: https://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/documents/PMbyDistrict_001.htm
For architectural related questions please contact Fran Kramer (Francis.Kramer@nysed.gov).
For engineering related questions please contact Dan Lim (Dan.Lim@nysed.gov)
Project specific inquiries regarding procedures and financial matters please contact the School District’s Fiscal Associate:John J. Hart- John.J.Hart@nysed.gov
Wendy Clark- Wendy.Clark@nysed.gov
Supervising Fiscal Associate: Jaime Byron- Jaime.Byron@nysed.gov
For general inquires please email EMSCFP@nysed.gov.
Please see the memo linked below regarding submission deadlines: http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/federal-education-covid-response-funding/construction-deadlines-1-23-23.pdf
Senior Architect, Grade 24 - http://www.nysed.gov/hr/employment/senior-architect-1675196397
Professional Engineer 1, Grade 24 (three positions open) - http://www.nysed.gov/hr/employment/professional-engineer-1-mechanical-1675712572
Assistant Engineer, Grade 20 (one positions open) - http://www.nysed.gov/hr/employment/assistant-engineer-mechanical-1659558219
Project Assistant, Grade 24 (temporary position) - http://www.nysed.gov/hr/employment/project-assistant-1643909502
Please visit the flyer announcement at the links above.
To better align the duties of the Office of Facilities members currently known as Project Managers, their new title will be Fiscal Associate.
State Educational Agencies (SEAs) & Lead Educational Agencies (LEAs) have a short timeframe to obligate federal stimulus funds. To that end, SED will only expedite review of federally funded projects.
SED is prioritizing review of federally funded projects, but several A/E firms are submitting large project(s) with only a small percentage of federal funding, or are bundling mixed-funding projects, some of which contain no federal funding. To ensure the highest priority is assigned to federal fund projects, please break out the federal stimulus work as a separate project according to the guidelines below.
For bundled submissions (i.e. containing multiple project numbers) that include non-stimulus project numbers, A/E firms shall separate the federal funded projects from projects which have no federal funding. Each federal stimulus project submitted to our office should have at least 40% federal funding (i.e. stimulus funds allocated for the project divided by total project cost) to be eligible for an expedited review. For example, if a federal fund project involves only HVAC work, but is part of a larger project and is less than 40% of the total project cost, the HVAC scope should be broken out as a separate project, such that completion of the design, bid or construction of a larger mixed fund project, doesn’t jeopardize completion of the federal fund project by the deadline.
Following this procedure will allow OFP to give the immediate attention that federal fund project(s) deserve. If you have questions, please contact us.
We no longer require an email to be sent to emscfp@nysed.gov advising when an electronic review is “ready for review”! We will monitor internally when electronic submissions need to be moved in Laserfiche after receiving their review number assignment(s). Please see below for Project File submission requirements. Please note - an electronic pdf version of SED paperwork is still required to be emailed to emscfp@nysed.gov.
Please see the memo linked here: School Security and Door Hardening Memo_2022
The federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires all public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools to be re-inspected for all known or assumed asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) in all facilities which are owned, leased, or otherwise used as a school building every three years. The 2022 triennial re-inspection must be completed no later than July 8, 2022 and submitted to the Commissioner of Education no later than September 1, 2022. Please see the attached letter for further instructions.
2022 AHERA Triennial Reinspection Survey Cover Letter
The Office of Facilities Planning is now accepting CRSSA and ARP funded capital projects which have filed FS-10s / other documents as required by the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs.
These projects will require all the submittal items of a regular project, but the process will be modified as follows:
LOI’s will continue to be emailed to the LOI mailbox. Please type/print “Federal Stimulus Funding” on the LOI letter AND in the subject line of the email.
Please email PDFs of SED paperwork for all final project submissions to emscfp@nysed.gov , in addition to the paper copy that must be mailed in. Please use the subject “<District name> Federal Stimulus Paperwork”. The body of the email message should include all SED project numbers associated with the submission. Please use the full 15-digit SED Project Number (i.e. SED Project #XX-XX-XX-XX-X-XXX-XXX). All SED project numbers are required so that we can pull the appropriate project folders.
We no longer require an email to be sent to emscfp@nysed.gov advising when an electronic review is “ready for review”! Since we require the paper format of the SED paperwork be submitted before assigning review numbers, the processing for electronic reviews can be streamlined to reduce emails. We will monitor internally when electronic submissions need to be moved in Laserfiche after receiving their review number assignment(s).
Please mark with the transmittal (paper submission) and cover sheets of the drawings and project manual with “Federal Stimulus Funding”. These projects will receive an expedited review.
Please see the Federal Stimulus Funding Q&A document in the link below.
Please see the attached document which lays out considerations to help states analyze the allowable use of ESSER funds to pay for construction, renovation, and minor remodeling projects.
Eligibility for State Reimbursement of Federal CRRSA and ARP Expenditures 
CCSSO memo on ESSER funds for construction December 2021
Facilities Planning, in consultation with the Department of Health, has been fielding many questions regarding ionization air cleaners and the marketing of such products to use in schools. Please see the attached letter for guidance.
Statement Regarding Ionization Air Cleaners 12.14.21 
Facilities Planning has updated the Final Submission Forms Workbook! In addition, Facilities Planning has created a new PowerPoint presentation to aid the school districts and A/Es in the completion of these forms.
In order to accommodate projects currently preparing for submission, a grace period will be provided until January 1, 2022. During this grace period both versions of the forms will be accepted. Starting January 1, 2022, all project submissions must use the most updated version below.
- Final Submission Forms Workbook
(1.07 MB) 01/31/22 - Final Submission Forms Workbook Guidance
(1.80 MB) 10/19/21
Bonfires: In compliance with the 2020 NYS Fire Code Section 307 Open Burning, the Office of Facilities Planning requires a permit application for bonfires on district owned property. For each planned bonfire event, please use the form link below to submit to FireSafety@nysed.gov . For bonfire related questions, please contact Louis Fiorese at 518-473-8992 or louis.fiorese@nysed.gov
Fireworks: In compliance with 2020 NYS Fire Code Section 5608 Fireworks Display, the Office of Facilities Planning requires a permit application for fireworks on district owned property. For each planned fireworks event, please use the form link below to submit to FireSafety@nysed.gov . For firework related questions, please contact Louis Fiorese at 518-473-8992 or louis.fiorese@nysed.gov
It continues to be true that NYSED is only approving the bonfire or fireworks display as required by the Fire Code. It is not under NYSED’s jurisdiction to authorize the district to have a large gathering on-site. That authorization must be obtained from the appropriate governing authority during times of applicable limitations due to the COVID pandemic. Please coordinate with current requirements of State and Local Health Departments.
To help us serve you faster, the Office of Facilities Planning is requesting PDFs of SED paperwork for all final project submissions to be emailed to emscfp@nysed.gov, in addition to the paper copy that must be mailed in. The review number will be assigned upon receipt of the paper submission. Please scan all SED paperwork as double-sided. For a submission that includes multiple project numbers submitted as a single package, please create a separate PDF for each individual project number that contains the SED paperwork for that project. Paperwork should be scanned and submitted in the order listed on the SED FP-CL form for each project number.
Please use the subject “<District name> SED Paperwork”; please note the SED project number should no longer be included in the subject line. The body of the email message should include all SED project numbers associated with the submission. Please use the full 15-digit SED Project Number (i.e. SED Project #XX-XX-XX-XX-X-XXX-XXX). All SED project numbers are required so that we can pull the appropriate project folders.
To clarify, this request does not apply to the submission of the design drawings and specifications. If you have any questions please contact us.
Please use the subject “<District name> SED Paperwork”; please note the SED project number should no longer be included in the subject line. The body of the email message should include all SED project numbers associated with the submission. Please use the full 15-digit SED Project Number (i.e. SED Project #XX-XX-XX-XX-X-XXX-XXX). All SED project numbers are required so that we can pull the appropriate project folders.
To clarify, this request does not apply to the submission of the design drawings and specifications. If you have any questions please contact us.
The following Q&A are intended to provide clarifications and additional information to the NYSED Health and Safety Guide for the 2021-2022 School Year
We have written previously (Newsletter#105 – November 2010) about post-bid addenda and the difficulties they cause our office – these difficulties are magnified by our reduced staffing levels.
As a reminder, in order for a PM to allow for the submission of an addendum, it must meet the following requirements
- The work in the addendum must be related to the original scope.
- The addendum scope must be authorized under the project’s proposition/authorization and funding is available.
- Confirmation will be required that the addendum scope is covered by the SEQRA Resolution, the project’s FP-OPRHP-LOR or SHPO Determination Letter, and the project’s Asbestos Letter.
- In addition to the addendum, the following will be required to be emailed to the PM: A revised FP-F, FP-SC, SGIS and FP-AP
In an effort to clarify our procedures following project permitting, please note:
- NYSED will no longer accept project addenda following our receipt of the Certificate of Substantial Completion (CSC) form.
- NYSED will no longer accept contract amendments or change orders for Energy Performance Contract (EPC) projects which have been approved and received a building permit.
In these cases, a new project must be submitted for review and approval.
The Office of Facilities Planning, in collaboration with NYSED’s Chief Financial Officer and the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs, is developing guidance regarding capital construction projects based on the United States Department of Education (USDE) recently issued FAQs for this federal program. The Use of Funds FAQ (released May 26, 2021) may be of particular interest, since it discusses construction and combination of funds. Links to the federal program website are below:
- https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/
- ESSER.GEER_.FAQs_5.26.21_745AM_FINALb0cd6833f6f46e03ba2d97d30aff953260028045f9ef3b18ea602db4b32b1d99
Districts which intend to do federally funded work using CRRSA and/or ARP-ESSER funds must first file FS-10s and other documents as required by the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs. If a project would normally require a building permit if supported by state/local funds, it must also have a building permit if supported by federal funds (or a combination of funding streams). Facilities Planning forms are under development at this time.
We will update the Facilities Planning home page as additional information becomes available.
To devote limited engineering resources to conduct more timely reviews, we are suspending prescreening, which was originally designed to prevent “placeholders” or incomplete submissions from entering our queue. Incomplete submissions waste our reviewers time and is unfair to those who submit complete bid ready submissions. Going forward, our architects and engineers will conduct a careful review of SED paperwork and the design documents for completeness.
For the time being, we are trusting that Architects and Engineers will continue to submit 100% bid ready construction documents as required.
For your reference, projects where the design documents are grossly incomplete at time of review start, as determined by management, will be posted to our website listing the school district project and the architect/engineer as “Waiting for adequate documentation”.
Legislation relative to single-occupancy bathroom facilities became Law December, 2021.
The new Education Law Section 409-m, requires all schools to develop policies and procedures “requiring that all single occupancy bathroom facilities (toilet rooms) are designated as gender neutral for use by no more than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted use”. Simply stated, existing single-user toilet rooms which do not have signs which indicate gender neutral must be provided with new signs with the words “all gender” (preferred) or “gender neutral”. To comply with the new legislation and the Building Code of New York State refer to the following guidance:
Gender neutral toilet signs FAQ 3-24
The 2021 Building Condition Survey (BCS) must be completed by 12/31/23 and submitted by 03/01/24.
The 2022 Visual Inspection (VI) is due March 1, 2023.
Please reference the website, Building Condition Survey and Visual Inspection:
https://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/BldgCondSurv.htm
- 2020-2024 Building Condition Survey - Assignment List (115KB) (12/10/20)
- 2020 and 2022 Visual Inspection - Assignment List
(181 KB) (11/22/19)
Submittal of 2021 Building Condition Survey
- Each BOCES and public school district that has been assigned to complete a Building Condition Survey for all normally occupied buildings in calendar year 2023, must submit the survey data electronically in the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System (SED Monitoring), which may be accessed at: http://portal.nysed.gov.
- Designated personnel should log on to the NYSED Business Portal using their existing State Education Department Delegated Administrator Account System (SEDDAS) account and password. Once logged in, click on the link to the “SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System,” then click on “Facilities,” then click “2023 Building Condition Survey.”
- If you have questions or problems accessing the business portal or the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System, contact the SEDDAS helpdesk at SEDDAS@nysed.gov
- Additional information regarding the 2020-2024 Building Condition Survey including BOCES/public school district assignments, instructions and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the Office of Facilities Planning website.
- Questions regarding the submission of the 2020-2024 Building Condition Survey can be directed to the NYSED Office of Facilities Planning at (518) 474-3906 or emscfp@nysed.gov.
On Tuesday, November 17th the attached memo was distributed to school leaders: Fire Drills Clarifications Memo
On Friday, December 4, 2020, a revised PUBLIC SCHOOL FIRE-SAFETY REPORTING FORM was published.
- The revised form eliminates reporting of the monthly evacuation fire drills as described in the NYS Fire Code. This reflects NYSED’s clarifying conversation with the NYS Department of State, which promulgates the fire code. As a result of this conversation, monthly fire drills are no longer required.
If you have any questions, or encounter any difficulties, our office is available to assist you as always. Please send an e-mail to firesafety@nysed.gov
- COVID FAQs: Please see the FAQ documents in the link(s) below. Additional FAQs will be posted as responses become available.
- 09-04-2020 Lease Structures - Update
- 08-26-2020 Reopening Plans Clarifications Memo
- 08-21-2020 Guidance on UV light; ion generators; portable fans; window air conditioners; portable air cleaners
- 08-17-2020 Placement of Tent or Storage Container or Modular -FAQs
- 08-05-2020 COVID FAQs (link to referenced Submission Form During COVID 19 ReOpening)
- TO OUR CUSTOMERS: This emergency will significantly impact normal business activities and services provided by the New York State Education Department. Please expect delays in services, wait times, and responses. We appreciate your patience.
- VISITORS: We are now accepting in-person delivery of submissions at the security entrance desk at Hawk Street; please contact the main office number at 518-474-3906 ahead of time to let us know when you are coming. When you arrive, please ask security to call our main office number and staff will come down to retrieve the documents. Please note, access to the interior of all State Education Department buildings will be restricted to visitors until further notice. Building access will be limited to state employees who have official duties within the buildings.
- Please visit the NYSED dedicated COVID-19 web page for guidance and resources. We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.
Please find REVISED guidance addressing the use of plastic Sneeze Guards in schools. Please review the revised guidance and work with district consultant of record to provide written evaluation and statement of code compliance for specific proposed products. Plastic Glazing for Sneeze Guards (Revised)
- FINAL PROJECT REVIEW SUBMISSIONS - THIRD PARTY REVIEWS (updated 06-25-2020)
- Requests for Third-Party Review of paper and electronic (Laserfiche) project submissions continue.
- All Third-Party Reviews will continue to be processed as expeditiously as possible.
- If you have questions, please send an email to thirdpartyreview@nysed.gov.
- PRELIMINARY SUBMISSIONS (06-03-20)
- Preliminary Submissions will be accepted, hard copy only please.
- CHANGE ORDERS (06-03-20)
- Change Orders/Contingency Allowance Authorizations will be accepted in hard copy only please.
- FIRE SAFETY (06-03-20)
- The Office of Facilities Planning will allow PDFs of the Fire Safety Report (FSR) and Certificate of Substantial Completion (CSC) (maximum 8-1/2x11 size) to be submitted for occupancy of new buildings and additions to existing buildings. Please send PDFs of both forms to firesafety@nysed.gov
- CERTIFICATE OF SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION (10-12-21)
- Certificates of Substantial Completion for reconstruction projects will be accepted in hard copy or in the electronic (pdf) format.
- Please send an email to emscfp@nysed.gov with the subject “Certificate of Substantial Completion for <District name>”. The body of the email message should include all SED project numbers associated with the submission. Please use the full 15-digit SED Project Number (i.e. SED Project #XX-XX-XX-XX-X-XXX-XXX). All SED project numbers are required so that we can pull the appropriate project folders.
- Attach a fully completed PDF copy of the SED Certification of Substantial Completion Form to the email.
THIRD-PARTY VENDOR REVIEW OF PROJECT SUBMISSIONS
- The Office of Facilities Planning in conjunction with CiTi BOCES (the Center for Instruction, Technology and Innovation/Oswego BOCES) is pleased to offer the option of outsourcing of eligible capital project submissions to Third-Party Vendors.
- Districts will continue to choose whether their projects will receive review by NYSED staff, or whether they wish to have their projects reviewed for an additional fee by Third-Party Vendors retained by CiTi BOCES.
- Certain Energy Performance Contract (EPC) projects are now eligible for third-party review; these require a third party certification of the financial information.
- More information about the third-party project review process and how to request a third-party review for your project submission.
Please view our news page for additional news items...
Our mission is to ensure
safe, healthy, comfortable, and acceptable educational facilities which promote
effective and efficient learning for all New York students regardless of where
they live.
We will accomplish our mission by establishing clear expectations
and standards for school facilities. We will work with parents, teachers,
administrators, designers, facility directors, contractors and the community
to set in motion mechanisms for school improvement statewide.